30 Minute Craftshttp://30minutecrafts.com Crafts and DIY done in 30 minutes or lessMon, 30 Mar 2015 22:49:05 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/03/simple-beaded-bracelet-2.htmlSimple Beaded Bracelethttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87959439/0/30minutecrafts~Simple-Beaded-Bracelet.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87959439/0/30minutecrafts~Simple-Beaded-Bracelet.html#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 20:45:48 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=6027I’m super excited to share this simple beaded bracelet with you today, because it also means that I can share with you some exciting news! I’m part of the Cousin Beads Ambassador team! I met with the amazing folks at Cousin back in January. Since then, life has been crazy with our big move to […]

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I’m super excited to share this simple beaded bracelet with you today, because it also means that I can share with you some exciting news! I’m part of the Cousin Beads Ambassador team! I met with the amazing folks at Cousin back in January. Since then, life has been crazy with our big move to California… but I have had a blast getting to know the other ambassadors. They put together a fun challenge – each of us was sent an identical box of beads and supplies, and we had to make something.

When I got my challenge box, I was stumped. All kinds of beautiful beads… but where to go with them. I picked a few strands, and made this fun and simple bracelet. I love that it has a pattern, is sparkly, but still understated… very my style. And you can whip one up in 15 minutes or less… which is perfect for me!

I’m on the team with a bunch of insanely talented ladies… be sure to check out their projects:

Start by cutting a length of tiger’s tail, I use about 1.5-2 times the size I’m going to need, just so I don’t have to worry about beads spilling off the ends. String on a crimping bead, the lobster clasp, then string the tiger’s tail back through the crimping bead.

Use the one-step crimping pliers to secure the clasp in place.

I added my beads in a pattern, then added a crimp bead, the jump ring, and threaded the tiger tail back through the crimp bead.

I tugged on the end to make everything snug, used the one-step crimping pliers again, and my bracelet was done!

Really, the toughest part is deciding on a pattern… and with these beautiful beads, it is hard to go wrong there!

I had so much fun (and these are so easy) that I whipped up a whole wrist full of them!

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87959439/0/30minutecrafts~Simple-Beaded-Bracelet.html/feed1http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/03/etched-savings-jar.htmlEtched Savings Jarhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87341699/0/30minutecrafts~Etched-Savings-Jar.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87341699/0/30minutecrafts~Etched-Savings-Jar.html#respondThu, 19 Mar 2015 23:02:44 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=6008Whenever I find coins in the laundry, or on the table, I had them to the nearest child to put in their piggy bank. Which isn’t always equitable, but it solves the problem of having random coins lying around. When I was a child, my mom had a piggy bank on the kitchen counter for […]

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Whenever I find coins in the laundry, or on the table, I had them to the nearest child to put in their piggy bank. Which isn’t always equitable, but it solves the problem of having random coins lying around. When I was a child, my mom had a piggy bank on the kitchen counter for random coins, as well as money from recycling or garage sales, or other random small-time money makers. We’d save up the money until we had enough to get something fun, like the ping pong table. It is surprising how coins and bills can add up so quickly!

This week is Craft Lighting Week, and together with my co-host Angie from The Country Chic Cottage, and our guest host Carissa from Creative Green Living, we’re sharing fast and fun crafts made with recycled items. I whipped up this etched savings jar in less than 15 minutes from a large lemonade bottle. It was so easy to do… let me show you how! And scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the fun ideas from my co-hosts and the bloggers that are joining in on this fun series!

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87341699/0/30minutecrafts~Etched-Savings-Jar.html/feed0http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/03/faux-gemstone-necklace.htmlFaux Gemstone Necklacehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87253786/0/30minutecrafts~Faux-Gemstone-Necklace.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87253786/0/30minutecrafts~Faux-Gemstone-Necklace.html#commentsThu, 19 Mar 2015 07:02:25 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=5984These faux gemstone necklaces are super simple to make! I had the idea to use toilet paper rolls for molds as I was playing with the new Mod Melter. The necklaces turned out just as I had hoped – and can be made with just 15 minutes of hands-on time! I made this faux gemstone […]

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These faux gemstone necklaces are super simple to make! I had the idea to use toilet paper rolls for molds as I was playing with the new Mod Melter. The necklaces turned out just as I had hoped – and can be made with just 15 minutes of hands-on time!

I made this faux gemstone necklace as part of the Craft Lightning series. Each day this week, my co-hosts and I are sharing a 15 minute or less craft project with a recycled component, as well as sharing quick, easy, and cute craft projects from some of our crafty friends online. With the recycled theme we have going this week, of course I had to use toilet paper rolls in one of my projects… and this is it!

Cut a 1″ slice from the toilet paper tube. Pinch one side to make it teardrop shaped. Place on the back of the Mod Melts mold. Cut a 2″ piece of straw, place near the top. Don’t touch the tube with the straw, though.

Make sure your Mod Melter is HOT before you start adding the glue. The hotter the Mod Melter is, the smoother the surface of your faux gemstone will be.

Fill the whole mold with the colored Mod Melts. You want two colors to mix. You can do this by either inserting only 1/2 a length of each color instead of the full stick. If the color hasn’t changed yet and your mold is more than half full, squeeze the excess to one side until you notice the color change.

Allow to cool. Put in water overnight.

Peel away the excess toilet tube cardboard, and pull out the paper straws. Use a scrubby sponge on the sides to help remove any leftover paper fibers from the toilet tube.

Use scissors to cut off any uneven edges.

Cut a length of ribbon, fold in half, thread the ends through the hole.

Put the ends through the loop, and pull tight. Add an overhand knot to secure the ends.

Your faux gemstone is complete – you won’t believe that something so cute is so easy to make!

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87253786/0/30minutecrafts~Faux-Gemstone-Necklace.html/feed1http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/03/bottle-turned-bud-vase.htmlBottle Turned Bud Vasehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87167040/0/30minutecrafts~Bottle-Turned-Bud-Vase.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87167040/0/30minutecrafts~Bottle-Turned-Bud-Vase.html#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 17:32:03 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=5964When you have a pretty flower you want to pop into a vase, you don’t need to dig into the big cabinet above the fridge, you can grab a bottle from the recycling bin to put your flower in! If you want to jazz up your recycled bud vase, you can add a few Swarovski […]

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When you have a pretty flower you want to pop into a vase, you don’t need to dig into the big cabinet above the fridge, you can grab a bottle from the recycling bin to put your flower in! If you want to jazz up your recycled bud vase, you can add a few Swarovski Crystals to make it special.

This project is part of craft lightning week, this week my co-host Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and our guest host Carissa from Creative Green Living are sharing fast 15-minute-or-less crafts made from recycled and upcycled materials! Check out the bottom of this post for their ideas and those of other awesome craft bloggers!

Peel off the label and clean the surface of your bottle with rubbing alcohol. You want to make sure all the adhesive residue is gone, as well as dirt and fingerprints.

Use a dot of glue to hold each stone in place. If you have a stylus to set the crystals, it makes things easier. I used the Krystal Katana – it has a wax tip that easily picks up and places the stones.

Make your shape – I went with a heart, but you could make another shape if you like. Nudge the crystals in place before the glue dries.

Put it on its side to dry.

Your bud vase will be good to go as soon as the glue is dry… now to pick some spring flowers!

Check out these other fun and fast crafts you can make using items out of your recycle bin!

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87167040/0/30minutecrafts~Bottle-Turned-Bud-Vase.html/feed1http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/03/upcycled-shirt-wreath.htmlUpcycled Shirt Wreathhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87078379/0/30minutecrafts~Upcycled-Shirt-Wreath.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87078379/0/30minutecrafts~Upcycled-Shirt-Wreath.html#commentsMon, 16 Mar 2015 09:28:54 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=5943All week long, I’m going to share fun recycled crafts. Like this Upcycled Shirt Wreath. Recently, we moved out of state. My son left the charter school he was going to, meaning we had lots of uniform shirts he’d no longer be wearing. Most of them were fine to give away, but one had some […]

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All week long, I’m going to share fun recycled crafts. Like this Upcycled Shirt Wreath. Recently, we moved out of state. My son left the charter school he was going to, meaning we had lots of uniform shirts he’d no longer be wearing. Most of them were fine to give away, but one had some holes in it. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to turn it into a bow for a wreath. While my son was in school, I would often help out with bulletin boards and door decorations. Since we were leaving, I thought it would be fun to give his teacher a wreath to decorate her door.

This week of recycled crafts is another fun Craft Lightning Week. Each day I’ll share a recycled craft that can be made in 15 minutes or less, and along with my Co-host Angie from The Country Chic Cottage, and our Guest Host Carissa from Creative Green Living, we’ll share lots of other fast and fun recycled projects from other crafty bloggers – make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to check out all their ideas.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87078379/0/30minutecrafts~Upcycled-Shirt-Wreath.html/feed2http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/03/mod-melts-charm-bracelet.htmlMod Melts Charm Bracelethttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87014842/0/30minutecrafts~Mod-Melts-Charm-Bracelet.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/87014842/0/30minutecrafts~Mod-Melts-Charm-Bracelet.html#commentsSun, 15 Mar 2015 01:19:02 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=5929This charm bracelet is super simple and inexpensive to make… and you can customize it with whatever charms you like, using different Mod Melts molds. I used a mold with flowers… but there are lots of design choices for you to make your own charm bracelet. Plaid sent me the new Mod Melter, their Mod […]

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This charm bracelet is super simple and inexpensive to make… and you can customize it with whatever charms you like, using different Mod Melts molds. I used a mold with flowers… but there are lots of design choices for you to make your own charm bracelet.

Plaid sent me the new Mod Melter, their Mod Melts, and some molds to play with. I’ve used their Mod Melts before, to make my Mod Melts Paperclips and Mod Melts Butterfly Decor. Once you make the melts, you can paint them, as I did in both of those projects… but for this project, I used the colored Mod Melts.

You don’t need a Mod Melter to use the Mod Melts and mold, but if you’re looking for an excuse to buy a shiny new tool, here you go! The Mod Melter is a glue gun with some serious bells and whistles. And not just because of the Mod Podge inspired orange and pink color scheme. It has a 6 foot cord (great for my new house where there are only 3 outlets in the craft room… none of which are conveniently located), a trigger that you squeeze with your hand instead of just your trigger finger, and my favorite feature of all – an on-off switch with an indicator light. This is absolute genius! I have burned-out glue guns by forgetting to unplug them for an entire weekend. Yikes! I’m loving the switch on the Mod Melter.

Go ahead and add it to your must have list. I’ll wait.

Now that we’re done drooling over new toys… let’s get started on making the Mod Melts charm bracelet, shall we?

Heat up your Mod Melter, insert a stick of colored Mod Melts, and start filling the cavities. If you want to switch through lots of colors, cut the colored Mod Melts sticks in half (or even in thirds). You’ll find the colors blend a little as the melts change from one color to the next, but I love the swirly effect that gives. I also liked using a dollop of one color for the center of a flower, then coming back with another color to fill in the petals.

After each cavity is filled, insert a jump ring, then add a little more Mod Melt to secure it in place. Let the charms cool.

Once the Mod Melts are cool, just bend the flexible silicone mold to pop them out.

If your edges aren’t perfect, just trim off the excess with scissors.

Cut a length of chain for your bracelet. Add the jewelry clasp. Use more jump rings to attach the charms.

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/85250845/0/30minutecrafts~Valentine-Birdhouse.html/feed0http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/02/mint-valentine-printable.htmlMint to Be Valentine Printablehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/85250167/0/30minutecrafts~Mint-to-Be-Valentine-Printable.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/85250167/0/30minutecrafts~Mint-to-Be-Valentine-Printable.html#respondWed, 11 Feb 2015 23:25:03 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=5904Looking for a simple printable valentine for one person, or an entire class? This “Mint to Be” Valentine is easy to print up, and you can use any mints you like! I used breath mints, but any leftover holiday mints would work great as well (this would look super cute with pinwheel mints)! You’ll need: […]

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Looking for a simple printable valentine for one person, or an entire class? This “Mint to Be” Valentine is easy to print up, and you can use any mints you like! I used breath mints, but any leftover holiday mints would work great as well (this would look super cute with pinwheel mints)!

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http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/85250167/0/30minutecrafts~Mint-to-Be-Valentine-Printable.html/feed0http://30minutecrafts.com/2015/02/free-printable-glue-stick-valentine.htmlFree Printable Glue Stick Valentinehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/85249605/0/30minutecrafts~Free-Printable-Glue-Stick-Valentine.html http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/85249605/0/30minutecrafts~Free-Printable-Glue-Stick-Valentine.html#respondMon, 09 Feb 2015 23:18:26 +0000http://30minutecrafts.com/?p=5897I love non candy valentines for classes, especially when you can make them inexpensively… and use a craft supply or school supply! These glue stick valentines are super simple to make, and kids will love them almost as much as candy valentines… though these are sure to last longer! If you want another fun non-candy […]

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I love non candy valentines for classes, especially when you can make them inexpensively… and use a craft supply or school supply! These glue stick valentines are super simple to make, and kids will love them almost as much as candy valentines… though these are sure to last longer! If you want another fun non-candy valentine, check out my Crayon Valentine Printable.